sleeping beauty

i sent chloe to her room after lunch today.
i will spare the details of why, but the mess that resulted required a time out.
i went in ready to give her a stern talk of why we need to listen and obey when mommy says something.
looks like someone was tired.
another photo op! must be my lucky day!!

sweet & sassy

i feel like i haven't had much time to blog or take pictures lately.
life is busy. it's a good busy.
we are a couple weeks into soccer and i am so thankful that it has begun to warm up around here. evening practices can get quite chilly. we have ella's first game on saturday. i can't wait to root for the supergirls in their bubblegum pink uniforms this season. perfect right?
barth is crazy busy at work. people need to stop breaking their bones. or at least stop using skill saws, or "unskilled" saws as the doctors like to call them.
i finally took a leap of faith and began a bible study in our home for the wives of all the orthopedic doctors. i am completely blown away by the way God is moving already. thank you Lord for this opportunity.
we are just 10 short days away from miss chloe's 5th birthday. she can't wait and has chosen an under the sea theme. i see a photo op coming on!
and riley. well let's just say she is oh so sweet and oh so sassy these days. with a little more emphasis on the sassy.
i snapped a few pictures of her today. my addiction to taking pictures has been satisfied....at least for the day.
that's all for now♥

p.s. please disregard the crusty nose. that's just a little glaze left over from our 8am krispy kreme run. shhh... don't tell ella. 

  

our special guest

we got to share this afternoon with someone who is so near and dear to our hearts.
almost 10 years ago our dear friend married barth and i.
over the years he has been such a blessing to us. always willing to lend an ear and to help gently guide us.
it was extra special to introduce him to our three girls. they attached to him as if they had know him their entire lives. it was so sweet to see.
thank you Pastor dean for your love and prayers over the last 10 years. you hold such a special place in our hearts.

bedtime chronicles

so as of lately riley has been quite the pill at naptime and bedtime. 

she sleeps great. no issue there. 

but mention the words "nap" or "night night" and wait a few moments for the meltdown to begin. i do not enjoy this. 

we have however found a remedy. its pretty cute actually. 

as long as we let her sisters sing and help put her in the crib she is as happy as a clam. 

i snapped this photo as they were singing "bless the Lord oh my soul" to her just before her nap. 

thanks girls, you really are mama's big helpers. 

let's pretend...

seems to be the thing to do around here these day.
let's pretend this, let's pretend that...and so it goes from there. this can go on for quite some time.
i love their imaginations. it reminds me of the days my sisters and i would strap on our roller skates and glide around the garage like figure skaters.
i always got to be kristi yamaguchi and the others were left to choose between nancy kerrigan and tonya harding. those were the days.
today my girls are chefs and i am the lucky recipient of their plastic treats. i love it.

the tooth doctor

my kids love the dentist. quite the opposite scenario for this mama. 

when ever i mention an upcoming dental appointment to them you would have thought i told them we were going to disneyland. they really can't wait. 

they talk of the flavors of toothpaste and flouride they will try and what stickers they might get. i guess when cookie dough, bubble gum (why are these flavors not offered to adults) and princess stickers are in order what can i expect right?

thank you doctor wacker (yes, that really is his name) for another great appointment!

birthday girl

in our family march is birthday month.
from the very beginning to the very end there is little time between the next.
this past weekend we celebrated my mom's special day in san diego.
it is so easy to shower her with love on her birthday.
for as long as i can remember she has made each and every one of our birthdays so memorable.
from staying up to the late hours of the night to decorate our themed tables so perfectly, to her banging on the piano to wake us from our slumber with a birthday song.
and now that we are married her traditions still carry on to our husbands and our own babies. she is amazing to say the least.

this year we mixed things up a bit and signed up for a cooking class. and not just any cooking class.
if you know my family you know that we are sushi lovers, and what could be more perfect than 3 hours spent making the most tasty bite-sized morsels you may ever eat.
thank you to our hubbies for watching the babies so we could get in a little girl time!

 sushi made by yours truly♥

and i will use any excuse i can to have a mini photo shoot...

happy birthday to poppa in washington who shares the same birthday as my mom. we love u and wish we could have been there!